Instinct Within
by Cudos Kudos
Summary: Gumball and Darwin have just been living their normal lives. But when new, startling situations practically sock them in their faces, how will they react? And what are these new feelings awakening within Gumball? They feel almost, like... instinct. [Rated T just in case]
1. Chapter 1: Surprised

**Hello! This is my first real story here, thanks for taking a look! I'll try not to drag on too long here, but there are some things I need to say. (Whoops it gets a little long, sorry! I advise reading it though ;u; )**

 **I haven't written in a very long time. A year, maybe two. So I'll be a little rusty. I'll get better, and the stories will get better as I go along and try to settle back into things. I promise you, I will only stop a story if I've truly lost hope in it. They may go on hiatus, but they'll come back, eventually. All that I ask from you guys are comments. Criticism, really. I won't be able to better myself and my stories without it. So please, leave a little feedback.**

 **Also. I have no idea exactly where I want to go with this story right now. I just know that I want to be behind this keyboard, tip-tapping away at it again. I love writing, but I had writers block for a long while. So tell me what it is you'd like to see! I may not do some of them, but hey, worth a shot. I look forward to hearing back from someone. I hope, at least, that eventually I'll get some sort of feedback. It seems there's not as many people in the TAWoG fandom as I'd hope, but I'll make do.**

 **Some info on the story, real quick.**

 **I like to imagine a lot of things about Gumball and his family. I daydream an AWFUL lot, and that's usually where I get my ideas. I act more on impulse and imagination than on analyzing and being logical. Ha. So, in my TAWoG stories. This one, as it's my only one as of now. But I hope there'll be more. I may make a one-shot compilation some day for TAWoG. I ship a lot of things pretty often. But! I've gotten off track. What I wanted to say was, the characters will be more.. driven. For example, Gumball is a cat. So I'll sensitize him as a cat. Meaning there will be moments where he flattens his ears as a reaction, or his fur puffs out and claws unsheathe. More impulsive, or emotional, instinctual. As I go along, I'll develop some characters in a way that may deviate from the show's actual characters very much. Sorry about that, ahead of time, for those of you who wanted to find a story with the characters in that way. Because they may not stay that way. Also, I will not be adding any popular OC's. I'm not going to add on to the main cast's families or anything. I may make a side character or something for random moments it that it's needed, or plot. ;P**

 **I don't own or have any affiliation with The Amazing World of Gumball or any of it's creators. The show and it's characters belong to them.**

 **More notes at the end of the chapter.  
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[Gumball's POV]

Gumball woke, blinking at the light filtering into the room from behind the blankets he had up along the top edge of his bunk bed to keep out some of said light. Gently pushing one aside near his head, he read the clock on his small beside table. It read 11:27. Stretching lazily, he rolled over to the edge of the bed and quietly hopped off. Since he found it easier to sleep during the day than night, and Darwin vice versa, they split it on the weekends by staying up late and waking up late. Rubbing his eyes, he mumbled at Darwin, who was already up and on the computer.

"Mmmm... how long have you been up?" He mewed, going to the desk to see what his brother was up to.

"Hmm?" Darwin murmured as he turned to look at the young tomcat, "Oh. Morning! I didn't think you'd ever wake up! I've been up.." He turned and looked at the small clock in the corner of his computer screen, "for about half an hour. Mrs. Mom left you some breakfast in the microwave, if Mr. Dad hasn't found and eaten it yet."

With a gentle sniff, he was able to smell the sugary maple syrup and fluffy flour smell that could only mean pancakes. Now more alert, he flashed Darwin a toothy grin, and sped out the door and down the stairs, to the kitchen. To his delight, the pancakes were still there. He ate, rinsed the plate in the sink, and went back upstairs. Darwin turned to him and spoke as he entered the room.

"So? What should we do today?" He asked, still at the computer desk but facing the door on the swivel chair.

"I dunno.." Gumball grumbled, yawning again and pulling a maroon t-shirt and some black jeans from the trunk where he kept his clothes. He had widened the selection of daily clothes he had after their mom had saved up enough to get them all some new clothes. Unashamedly, he just threw off his shirt and shorts and pulled on his daily clothes while Darwin pondered what they might do.

"Oh! I've got it!" said Darwin, quite loudly and suddenly. Startled, Gumball jumped a little. Before he could ask what, Darwin continued. "We could go to that end-of-summer fair! I heard it's not nearly as bad as it was last year!" Excited now, Darwin jumped from the chair.

Gumball smiled. He wasn't all that fond of fairs or carnivals, as it seemed they got injured in some way or became endangered every time they went, but he knew it made Darwin happy. He couldn't help but catch some of the excitement himself. Besides, he loved seeing his best friend so suddenly ecstatic. "That's a great idea!"

Darwin, of course, beamed for a few moments. Then his smile faltered a little. "Do we have enough money to get tickets or those wrist-bands that get us on rides?" He wondered out loud, turning towards the bed stand. Gumball followed him and peered over Darwin's shoulder as he opened the drawer to where he and Gumball kept their saved up money. Upon inspecting it for a few moment, a smile lit up his face again. He turned to Gumball, who met his eyes with a smile just as big.

"Bye, Mrs. Mom! We'll be here when you come to pick us up, don't worry!" Darwin yelled and waved as Nicole 's car pulled away. The two boys walked over to the small line that was formed beside the building where you paid entrance fee. After a couple minutes of waiting, it was their turn.

"Two half-day passes, please!" Darwin said, smiling, as he handed the woman in the booth two tens. Absentmindedly, Gumball chewed on his claws. Turning to get his wrist band on, he felt goose bumps form on his back and neck, making his fur puff up a bit. Warily, he glanced around, the wrist band on and him and Darwin now walking in, but he saw nobody watching him. _What's wrong with me?_ He wondered, _its like, someone was watching me... but... I don't see anyone._ Turning back to Darwin, he realized the fish had been talking to him.

"Sorry, I was spacin' out. What did you say?" Gumball looked at Darwin, a bit sheepishly. Darwin just rolled his eyes a little and repeated what he had said.

"I said, what ride do you want to do first?"

"Oh! What about.. the Fireball?" With a devious Cheshire Cat grin, he started elbowing his friend, who looked horrified.

"Oh, no. No-no-no. Any ride but that one. You know I wont go on that one, Gumball."

Laughing, Gumball just took Darwin's fin and led him to a nearby game. "C'mon, then. Let's start with something small, we'll work our way up to the big ones." Darwin wore a fake pout, but eventually it faded into a smile and Darwin gave in. They went around, playing some games, and avoiding others (like the fishing games, of course). They then started working their way up the rides. But as Gumball and Darwin dashed between rides, the first of the two became uneasy.

 _I smell rain coming.._ he grumbled inwardly. Then-he felt it. Once again, he felt the creeping sensation of being watched. He stopped in his tracks, looking around. His fur bristled. _Who's watching us? Am I being paranoid? What's going on with me today?_ Darwin had stopped in his tracks, looking quizzically at Gumball. Following his gaze around the area, he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.

"Everything alright, Gumball?" He asked, mild concern painted over his face. A cool breeze swept past them. Gumball reached up a paw to rub his own shoulder.

"Yea... it's going to rain soon, though, is all. We should get a move on."

"Oh! We should, then. C'mon!" Grabbing Gumball's paw, the two of them ran over to the next ride. It was called Alien Abduction, and it was a UFO that spun around so fast that you were stuck to the walls for a bit. Gumball looked up again, to see thicker, darker clouds rolling in. He grumbled a little but forgot about the clouds as he and his sibling entered the large machine. Both grinning like fools, they took their places. A few more people came in, and the doors closed. The man in the center warned them to try to not throw up, and to have fun. And then, it started spinning. It started going faster and faster, gaining momentum with each turn. After a little bit, Gumball shifted himself so that he was sideways across the wall. The UFO themed ride was spinning so fast, it's passengers became stuck to the wall and found it difficult to move. Darwin squealed in delight, but their fun was short lived. It seemed, as soon as it started, it stopped. With quiet 'Aww's, the people unloaded themselves.

 _I hope it doesn't-_ Gumball began the thought, but didn't get to finish it. As he looked up, thinking it, lightning cracked overhead and thunder rolled across the sky to their ears. With a startled yowl, bristling fur and hackles raised, he jumped and scurried a few feet before Darwin stopped him and calmed him. They then both grumbled as rain began to splatter the ground around them.

[Darwin's POV]

 _Aww! Darn it! We were having so much fun!_ Gumball let out a groan beside him.

"I guess we had better call Mom..." the blue kitten moped, scrambling under a nearby tree as the rain started coming down harder. Darwin followed, although more slowly; he enjoyed the feeling of the cool summer rain sliding down his scales. The mud it created around him, though, was a nuisance. Stepping carefully, he went around the mud and stepped under the tree with his brother. Standing in front of him, he spoke.

"How are we going to let Mrs. Mom know she should come get us early? Shouldn't we be getting..." Darwin's voice trailed off as he stared at his brother. Gumball was glaring at something behind Darwin's back, and his fur was bristling. He saw the glint of one of Gumball's claws as they slid out, but before the could ask what was going on or turn around, his brother had slid past him. Turning, he saw what was upsetting Gumball so much. There were two anthropomorphic animals standing in front of him, and one other person: A coyote, the leader, it seemed, a little red fox, and, surprisingly, someone they new. Tobias. Confused and a little worried, he watched as Gumball just stood there, rain dripping through the leaves above.

"G-gumball? What's.. going on? Wh..?" Darwin murmured and stammered, confused. He had never seen Gumball act like this before in his life.

[Gumball/s POV]

 _So these are the creeps who've been setting me on edge all day! I new someone was watching us!_ Glaring at Tobias and the other two with him, he emitted a low growl. He felt it rumble in his throat. He wrinkled his nose and slid his claws out more, taking up a more defensive position in front of the bewildered Darwin, as the fox raised an eyebrow. _I don't know what's going on, but I'm not going to show it. I don't think these guys are here for a friendly chat._ The area around the five was empty now, having most everyone in the fairground run to their cars and drive off. He heard Darwin begin to mumble something behind him, but he wasn't able to pick it up, even with his sensitive ears, over the splatter of a million raindrops.

A white light flashed across the sky, and thunder followed suit. Gumball jumped a little, but didn't take his eyes off the trio in front of him. Suddenly, a white light flashed very close by. Lightning dashed down from the sky to strike the very UFO-based ride that him and Darwin had been riding in just minutes before. It was the loudest thing he had ever heard, and sparks flew. Eyes flying wide open, the three before him whipped around to stare at where the lightning had stricken. Taking the opportunity, Gumball spun on his toes and grabbed Darwin's fin, yanking him out from under the tree and making a run for it. He heard an enraged snarl from behind, but they didn't give chase. They slowed down near the entrance, panting. Darwin leaned forwards and put his hands on his knees.

"What the heck was that? What did Tobias want?" he cried out, utterly confused. Gumball saw the slight hurt in his brother's eye; Darwin thought of Tobias as a friend, after all, and yet he seemed to understand that the situation hadn't exactly been friendly. But Gumball could never bring himself to. Under all the words the young rainbow-colored puff spoke, was an air of mocking and sarcasm that not many seemed to pick up on. It was worse than Gumball's usual attitude. Just then, Nicole drove up and the boys ran forward, flinging the door open and jumping in.

"I'm sorry I took so long, I had to put the towels on the seats. When I heard the rain, I had a feeling you two would be soaked through." She turned and looked back at the two; Gumball looked back at her. Darwin seemed happy to be in the car, and so was Gumball, but the latter had thick fur and the water from his clothes felt like it was going to soak through the towel soon. He watched as the turned around and started driving. Finally relaxing after the short, tense moment and quick sprint the two brothers took part in, he slumped down against the fish with a sigh.

 **So! There it is! I hope it was ok! I'll answer comments at the end of each chapter, down here where you're reading now. I hope this isn't too short! If you guys think it should be longer, or maybe even shorter, let me know! I have no idea when the next chapter will be out; probably 1-3 days as, the weekend is coming up. I may have things to do, idk. Well, there it was! I hope you enjoyed, and if you want me to continue the story, please, let me know! I'll probably continue it anyways, but knowing people actually want it helps.**

 **-Cudos Kudos**


	2. Chapter 2: Ocean

**Hello again! Not much to say here, I've typed this about 7 times now. More notes and replies to previous comments at the end of the chapter.**

 **I don't own and I'm not affiliated w/ TAWoG**

 **Some small things pulled from the wiki, to help fuel this story: _"_ _In general, Gumball is very protective of his loved ones. On multiple occasions, he's quick to go into a sort of "over-protective" mode whenever anybody tries to hurt his siblings, Darwin and Anais, as seen in "The Parasite," in which he tried to nearly poison Jodie when she thought she was hurting Anais, or in "The Rerun," in which he aimlessly tried to attack Rob out of rage when Darwin died."_ ****and** **[not related to the previous quote] _"_ _Such a side may also suggest Gumball is smarter than he lets on, as hinted by his expansive vocabulary, cooking skills, and ukulele skills as well."_**

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"Are you sure this will be ok?" Gumball said, sounding nervous. Before him was a large expanse of blue green water, a sand bank about 150 feet out and boats drifting along, far past it. The smell of salt in the air was thick and choking for the young cat, who's nose was quite keen. His best friend and adopted brother, Darwin, was standing next to him, looking eagerly into the blue tom-kitten's eyes. Behind them, was a snort.

"Gumball, you'll be fine! Go swim with your brother. It's just the ocean; it's too shallow here for anything to be dangerous." The two boys turned to look at Nicole, who was sitting on a towel next to her husband, Richard, and her daughter, Anais. Gumball just narrowed his eyes, grumbled, and turned back around. Eyes still narrowed, he reached a hind paw forward and tapped it on the surface of the water. It felt lukewarm. With a relieved sigh, he put his paw all the way in to the shallow water, the other following with a step forward. He heard Darwin shout behind him, and when he turned to look, there was joy in his bother's eyes. It brought a smile to Gumball. How could anyone _resist_ the adorable face the young fish had? Darwin jumped in beside him, and together, they splashed a little deeper into the water.

 _I'm not gonna have fun getting clean later.._ Gumball thought to himself, already imagining the salt and sand stuck in his claws and crusting on his fur. He shrugged and waded after his brother, who was swimming out to the sand bar. Gumball followed him, and when he could feel the bottom no more, his legs kicked up behind him and he propelled himself after the fish. Darwin reached it and turned to watch as Gumball came up to it behind him. Gumball smiled and looked over the water as they stood, half-submerged. The water was up a little over Gumball's waist, and it tugged and pushed against his swim trunks as the tide went. The two looked at each other, both wondering to themselves what to do next. Gumball tuned, and noticed as the sand bank traveled, it got further from the shore. Darwin followed his gaze, and once he noticed it too, they grinned. Darwin turned towards the shore, where the rest of the family and other people were sitting, enjoying themselves.

"Mrs. Mom! We're going to go explore along the sand bank!" He called, and she looked up.

"Alright! Just be careful! And do NOT cause anyone trouble. It's hard enough having to watch over your father, making sure he doesn't get us kicked out. I don't need to worry about you two, too, do I?"

"No! We'll be good!" Darwin flashed her a smile, and the friends took off along the bank. They waded and followed it as it got further from the shore. 200, 250, now 300 feet from it. They had been walking along it for a good 10 minutes, just chatting and joking and elbowing each other's sides. They stopped suddenly, confused looks on their faces.

"What changed?" Darwin said, looking towards the shore, confused. His eyes widened, and Gumball looked that way. What he saw was confusing, and off-putting. The people on the shore were screaming and pointing at them, something like fear etched on their faces. Feeling the fur on his back bristle, he flicked his ears and listened. He caught one thing, said by a person screaming at them and pointing.

"Behind you! Watch out! Get out!"

Gumball looked down, realizing that the water was down to his knees, when it had been half way up his stomach. He whipped towards the open ocean. The only noise he could make was a terrified squeak, as the fur on his whole body stood on end. He took Darwin's head, trembling, and turned him towards the wave barreling down on them. They could hear the people behind them on the beach, screaming and fleeing the scene. As the high wave came closer, all Gumball was able to say, was,

"Why does the world hate us?"

Darwin swallowed visibly next to him, and grabbed ahold of his brother's paw. The wave crashed over their heads. Gumball let out a muffled, choking scream as he swallowed some water. There was a high rock wall behind where the people had been, standing and screaming at them, and the wave propelled them at it with such force. Darwin's fin still gripped tightly on Gumball's paw as he slammed into the wall. Darwin came right behind him, and when he hit Gumball, it drove the last bit of air out of his lungs. Already the edges of Gumball's vision was becoming dark and blurred, and he was struggling against the water less. The wave rolled back and carried them with it, and Darwin was able to gain enough control and pull them up to the surface of the water for a short time. Using his head, he pushed his half-conscious older brother to air, where he immediately started choking and coughing up water. Darwin held him there, able to draw oxygen, as he could breathe underwater. Gumball let out a tiny, exhausted whimper, and rested his head against the top of his brother's head, a little above and to the side of his brother's right eye. He closed his eyes as Darwin moved towards a chair that was floating on the water. Gumball climbed onto it with one last push, eyes half open as Darwin climbed up.

"G-gumball!" spoke Darwin, voice laden with worry and fear. He pulled Gumball up near his face. Gumball groaned and blinked at him. "Are y-you okay?! Gumball?" Gumball pulled his legs the rest of the way under him and rubbed an eye.

"Ye-ea, I think so. I think.. I'll be fine." His voice was hoarse and scratchy, and it hurt to talk. He just closed his eyes again and leaned against Darwin. Darwin let out a small whine and pulled himself out from under Gumball.

"I'm going to try to steer the chair somewhere safer.." He trailed off and Gumball just nodded, curling up into a ball and drifting off

Gumball woke to darkness all around him. He opened his muzzle to breathe but found his mouth was only filled with horrible, murky blue saltwater. _Is this a dream?_ He wondered, beginning to panic. Something came up from under him, pushing hum towards the surface of the water. As his head came out, he saw he was still in the middle of the ocean. Before he could ask himself where his brother was, the presence under him vanished and he had to tread water. He was sore, but he had enough energy to swim. For now. Darwin popped up next to him.

"Gumball! Are you okay?"

"Yea.." Gumball looked around, "but what happened? To the chair?"

Darwin looked down at the water, "it fell apart as I pushed it. But look! We're back to the beach!" Gumball turned carefully to follow Darwin's vision, and sure enough, there was the beach. It was a higher section of the beach, but it was covered in trash and boulders and the cliffs behind the sand looked as if they were about to fall apart. _Still our best shot,_ Gumball thought to himself, and without a word, they swam towards the beach.

Finally reaching it, Gumball and Darwin pulled themselves out of the water. Gumball, standing on all fours after having to doggy-paddle over, shook himself out. His fur was fluffed up and clumped into spikes. Darwin grumbled a little as he was sprayed with water, but he didn't say anything. Gumball looked over at Darwin, who was now looking back over the ocean, as he himself stood up.

"Sorry. I'm gonna take forever to dry, I wanted to get some of the water off." Gumball stepped over some plastic bags and water bottles to stand next to his brother. He looked up at the sun, which was about halfway down the west side of the sky. Which meant, the way they needed to go, was to their left. Gumball nudged Darwin, and, taking the younger brother's fin, led him along the beach to the south. As they travelled, it became increasingly more difficult to walk, to the point where they had to climb over whole boulders and avoid getting their legs stuck in cracks. As they walked, the beach grew wider, and was now covered in mud and rocks. Following it still, they came to a cliff wall. There was a gap wide enough for maybe Gumball to get through, but Darwin would not. Seeing it, Darwin walked over to the water and waded in. He looked back at Gumball, who had not followed. Darwin's features softened at the sight of his wary brother.

"You don't have to come with me to the other side. You've squeezed into tight spaces before, you can probably get through that gap. I won't be able to. Before you go in, though, let me go check the other side, real quick. Just to see what's there?"

Gumball, looking relieved, nodded and sat down. He watched as Darin waded further into the water, then began swimming. He disappeared around the corner, and a couple minutes later, came back looking upset.

"Nothing. There's nothing!" He flung his hands in the air and slumped next to Gumball, who put an arm around the orange fish and patted his back.

"It'll be ok. We're still going the right way; I know where the sun was when the wave came, and I think the wave and the currents pushed us north. So we'll just have to keep heading south. We're bound to come across someone eventually, right?" Getting no answer, he pulled up Darwin's chin and looking directly into his brother's eyes. His voice was soft and reassuring as he spoke again.

"Right?"

Darwin sniffed, and nodded, looking better.

"Right. Do you want me to stay back here or go around to wait for you at the end of the crevice?"

Looking over at it, Gumball narrowed his eyes. "Wait for me here, and when I get close to the other end, or you can't see me any more, start heading around to the other side. That sound okay?" Darwin nodded, and they got up and walked over to the crack. Gumball carefully squeezed himself in. He walked along it. Above him, a ceiling became evident as he walked. It came closer and closer to his head, until his ears were bushing it. Turning and looking back at Darwin, he nodded and the fish disappeared, to head for the side. Walking a little further, his eyes adjusted to the darkness. _Night vision is helpful,_ he thought, and as he looked down, he saw the passage had become a small tunnel. He'd have to get on all fours. Grumbling, he crouched down and began padding through. His whiskers guided him, and he saw the exit coming near. But right before it, the tunnel got terribly thin, before widening out and growing larger again. He looked at it. He'd have to squeeze through, and it'd be a tight fit.

"Hey, Darwin? Are you over there? Can you look in and see me?" his calls were answered by the orange fish's face popping into view about 10 feet ahead, at the end of the small tunnel. "Do you think I could fit through this?" he inquired, peering through at Darwin.

"Maybe..." Darwin looked thoughtful, "but it'd be hard, and you'd have to be careful to not get stuck. But, I say, give it a try. It's going to be dark soon." Darwin turned and gestured at the sky behind him, which Gumball could barely see. Gumball looked back at the gap, and sighing, went for it. As careful as he could, he squeezed forward. His head managed to get through, and he followed with his shoulders. His confidence grew, until suddenly, he could go no further. He yelped as something jabbed at soft flesh. Twisting, he looked back. To his surprise, it was his hips that were having a hard time getting through. _Huh, that's weird,_ he thought, _usually that isn't a problem..._ he looked up at the sound of his friend's voice.

"Gumball? Are you ok? I know I said be careful, but I didn't mean take ten years!" Gumball snorted, resting on his elbows. It was getting uncomfortable.

"I'm stuck! I still might be able to get through, but I think I gotta go back a bit and try a different angle. My hips are too wide." Gumball grumbled some more, then slowly backed up until he was out. Looking at the hole again, he had an idea. "Do you think it'd work better if I went in sideways?" Darwin blinked.

"Maybe, but be careful," was all he said. The goldfish backed up a bit and sat on the ground, watching Gumball once more. Gumball tried again, this time turning sideways as he went through. It was hard at first, but he was able to shuffle and kick and finally drag his whole body through. Pulling himself up on to all fours again, he trotted the rest of the way out. Darwin and him stood, and Gumball stretched.

"You're right.. it is getting late. Guess we better move." They followed the shore once more. There were far less boulders on this side, and even a bit of graffiti on the rock walls. The two smiled at each other, taking this as a good sign. Eventually, the ground beneath them faded from dirt and sharp little rocks to soft sand. The sun was setting over the water, the sky darkening, but it seemed they were almost back. Exhaustion forgotten, they began to sprint over the sand. Gumball let out a little gasp and they skidded to a stop. Before them, was about 500 feet of water. Gumball shuddered.

"This must be where we were when the wave came. I hope Mom, Dad, and Anais got outta the way in time!" Darwin just nodded and waded in a little. They could see, in the distance, far past where the sand began, dots moving around. It had to be people. They started yelling.

"Hello! Hey! Can you hear us! Hello?"

"We're over here! Come get us, please! We-" Darwin's shout was cut off at a growl behind them. They whipped around, and behind them, was a wolf. It wasn't quite the biggest wolf ever, but it was still a wolf. Gumball's fur stood on end, his claws unsheathing. A small growl rumbled in his chest and out of his throat, and he nudged Darwin towards the water.

"Gumball?" whined Darwin. He sounded scared.

"Go get help. You saw those people. You'll get there faster. Swim across, and get help. I'll be fine, go!" Gumball turned and shoved Darwin this time, and the wolf gave a loud, angry _Grrr,_ and began toward them. Darwin, needing no more encouragement, turned and began to swim as fast as he could. Gumball looked the wolf over. It was quite a bit bigger than him. _I need to get around it,_ he thought _,_ and started to edge to the side. But the wolf saw it, and moved with him. Gumball laid his ears flat and let his fur rise off his body, making himself look bigger. The wolf stopped for a moment, then just growled again and kept coming. Gumball's claws were fully visible now, sharp and glinting in the sunset. He lowered himself, poised and ready to bolt or fight, if he really had to. Before he had a chance to consider either, it became a fight. With a loud, terrible bark, the wolf sprang at him. He ducked forward, underneath the wolf's stomach as it landed. He slashed at it, and it yelped angrily. It fell limp on top of him, suffocating him. It grabbed his tail and bit down with a _crunch._ Gumball yowled, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. He struggled free, tail yanking out of the wolf's jaws in the process. Before any more could happen, a boat was speeding over the water. They looked up at the same time, and the wolf's eyes widened. It turned and ran. Gumball sat back, rubbing an eye and parting the fur to look at his tail. It was bent at an angle, broken and bleeding. He gently drew his tongue over it a couple of times, wincing. The boat pulled up and his mother and brother, along with a couple of others, jumped out and rushed over to him. Nicole grabbed him and hugged him.

"Gumball! Oh, Gummy! Are you ok? Oh my god, your tail! What happened? It's broken!" His face was buried and he pulled himself away from her, taking a deep breath.

"Mom, mom! I'll be fine. It's not like I haven't broken anything before! It's just my tail. It'll be fine." Nicole just pulled him into his lap and sat her head on his, purring. He grumbled, but after their long dad, couldn't bring himself to care. Darwin sat down next to them, helping to hold his tail up as it was wrapped.

"Gumball, what happened? Did that wolf do this?" When Gumball nodded, he went on, "Are you going to be ok? Is it going to heal?" Gumball just snorted.

"Darwin, I break bones all the time. When have they _not_ healed?" Darwin just blinked.

"Well, I'm glad you're ok."

"I'm glad everyone's ok. Now, let's go home?" Nicole pushed Gumball off and stood, brushing sand off of her skirt. She helped the two boys up, and they headed for the boat.

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 **Hello! Sorry, I would have had this out earlier, but I was dragged around a bit. But! Still the weekend, still got it out. The next chapter will be out by next weekend, at the latest. Tell me what you want to see! I want to make this a longer story, but I may need some help from you guys. Thanks! Also, admit it, boi's hips are a bit wide. Don't complain, please. Once I manage to finish the cover art, you'll be able to see him in my style, and maybe understand this chapter better. Replies to comments below:**

 **Villicus: Thanks! I hope it turns out ok! I'm trying my best, so at least I'm putting that in, heh.**

 **Guest: Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3: Elaboration

**Hello, I'm back w/ Chapter 3 of Instinct Within! This chapter will be a bit shorter than the last, but hopefully, Chapter 4 will be a bit longer. It's just the process of beating around the bush, heh. But! Thanks for taking a look! I hope you enjoy!**

 **More notes/replies to comments at the end of the chapter**

 **I don't own TAWoG**

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Gumball walked out of the hospital doors, stretching in the early evening sunlight. He had gone and been checked over, spent the night, and was finally going home. Even after a night's sleep and doing practically nothing but sitting all day and talking to Darwin, he still felt exhausted. He started thinking back to the events of the previous day, the wave, everything. He started to question it, but he lost his train of thought half way through and forgot it completely as he got into the car. Nicole turned back towards them as she started the car, smiling, and then began to drive. Gumball just slumped in his seat with half-open eyes, blurry against the late summer light. They drove for a bit, and arrived home. Smiling, the three got out of the car and went inside.

"Boys!" Richard jumped up and hugged them, and turned back toward the television and the couch, where Anais sat.

"Hey," she smiled at them and turned back to her show, engrossed in it. Richard turned to the couch and plopped back into it with a sigh. The two brothers looked toward the stairs, then at each other. Immediately, they dashed to it. Darwin had the lead, but he tripped and slid back down a couple of stairs. Gumball looked back and laughed, and then he tripped, too. But his reflexes were fast, and he caught himself on his hands and pushed himself back up, making his way up and into their room barely a second before Darwin.

"Dang it!" Darwin leaned over, panting, and put his hands on his knees. Gumball, breathing just as heavily, grinned at him and jumped into his bed.

"Mmmmmm," he groaned, curling into his blankets, "much better than that hospital bed." he said as he finally burrowed under them. Darwin laughed and walked over, pulling them off of his brother's head. His eyes narrowing and pupils becoming slits, he hissed and backed further under them into the shadows. Darwin snorted and dropped them, going over to sit in the computer chair.

[Gumball's POV]

As Darwin pulled the blankets off of his head, he felt his eyes narrow. He hissed and backed further under the blankets, closing his eyes. He heard an audible snort from Darwin, and then his footsteps as he walked away. After a moment of his eyes adjusting to the darkness again, he pulled out his phone. Turning it on, he hissed again and slapped it against the bed to rid of the bright light. Pulling it up just a smidge, he turned the brightness all the way down, then pulled it back up all the way. He messed around on social media for a bit before turning it off and putting it on his chest. He stared upwards at nothing, thinking back to the day before. He remembered he had began to question it before. _What was it that I was thinking about,_ he thought to himself. Closing out everything around him, he let the memory flood his mind again.

Him and Darwin were back on the beach. He heard himself tell Darwin to go get help. He pushed Darwin into the water.. and stood in the Wolf's way. _Why.. did I do that? Me and Darwin get beat on all the_ time. _He can take care of himself. Normally I'd just run away in that situation.. why'd I get in the way?_ He remembered the brief fight after Darwin left, the wolf braking his tail, him scraping his claws through the wolf's fur. Blinking, the pulled his paws up to his face and looked at them in the warm, dim darkness underneath the covers. He felt his breath gently stir the fur on his paws. He gently, as to not get them caught in the blanket, slid his claws out. He looked hem over. His breath hitched when he saw a bit of blood ad gray-brown fur caught in one. Shuddering, he flipped onto his stomach and picked it out. He drew his tongue over his wrist and thumb thoughtfully.

 _Why the hell did I do that? I mean, I care about Darwin! He's my brother. But, I would have run.._ before he had more time to elaborate, he heard his Mom calling from downstairs to come and eat. Wiggling out from under the blankets and falling on the floor, he followed Darwin out of the bedroom.

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 **Sorry for the wait, and that I missed last weekend's chapter. I was a bit busy and tired. I'll try and get chapter four out this weekend, too, if I can! Or some time during the week. We'll see. I also gotta finish the cover art for this, lol. Also, sorry the chapter is so short. I say sorry too much. Also, in the story, it's mid September, and they're in 8th grade. Works well for the setting. The only difference is that everyone's literally like, a year older. They're all pretty much the same otherwise.**

 **[Replies to reviews]**

 **Villicus: It's actually a good idea! I think I might use it for chapter four. I'll give you credit, of course. Was your idea after all. :) I do like it. I just had to get this chapter out first. A little filler and some.. elaboration. Also, thanks! I'm glad to hear that.**

 **lexboss: Thanks!**


	4. Update (might get removed lol)

**Howdy!**

 **This story has racked up a lot of comments over the years and just. I never expected so many people to take interest in it? I still really love this fandom after so long and I'm still involved in it and I'm honestly thinking about continuing this story. The reason I stopped was because I was so much younger and felt unhappy with my skill level and that last chapter I wrote, if I remember correctly (I haven't even had the chance to look at any of them yet, I may delete one or more of them if I have the ability to do that) made me feel weird. If I write anything for this, they'll likely just be random shorts and one-shots that aren't related to each other, but if y'all really want me to, I'll try. /**

 **Doing so may also include me using some of the odd headcanons I've developed over the years to explain some of the stuff Gumball Darwin do (like pretty much everything that occurred in Darwin's origin episodes)**

 **If any of you are still around, let me know what you think! I might just go ahead and do it anyway even if nobody responds, we'll see**

 **This chapter might get removed, tee hee**


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